I Never Wanted to Love You
by MissEmelle
Summary: Edward was the moody and guarded loner. Bella was the new girl, but didn't take crap from anyone. With his womanizing ways, hating each other was inevitable. But the chemistry between the two wasn't something either of them could deny.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer****: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. If only Stephenie were so nice.**

**.1.**

Isabella Swan stood in front of her bedroom mirror, gazing at her sour expression.

Why weren't any of these working? She picked up her heavy mane of chocolate colored tresses and held it in the style of a high ponytail. That's the way she usually carried it, but of all days, her first day at a new school in a new city, it just was _not_ working.

She released the hold and let it tumble down around her shoulders, framing her face. She'd always been told it looked best this way, but she didn't see anything attractive about it this morning.

Sighing in defeat, she snatched her bag from atop her bedroom desk and ambled down the stairs with an easy grace.

Sitting down at the island in her kitchen, she picked an apple from the glass fruit bowl and took a hearty bite. As she waited for her father to emerge from his room and drive her to school, her mind wandered.

A couple months ago, she was living in Arizona with her mother and stepfather, living a wonderful, albeit boring, life. She attended Winsted High School, received nothing short of an A minus, had the greatest friends ever, and all her teachers assured her she was a shoo-in at Yale, her dream college.

Her father and mother had gotten divorced when she and her twin sister were barely a year old. He was having affairs, and was terrified of his own children. He claimed it was because he was a young and foolish kid, and didn't know any better at the time, but Bella knew better. It was because he hadn't wanted any children. She knew he saw them as a complication if he and her mother were ever to get a divorce.

Bella smiled bitterly at the ironic thought. He'd divorced her mother because of her and her fraternal twin sister, and now he was responsible for both of them. He wanted Bella out of the blue one day, and her mother didn't deny him the right to his daughter. She hadn't known him for 17 years, and maybe the fact that she'd be heading off to college in mere months had reminded of the fact that he had another daughter.

Bella hated thinking about it. She felt her father never loved her. He'd chosen her sister, Victoria, over her. How else was she supposed to feel?

The object of her thoughts suddenly appeared in the kitchen, and Bella bowed her head in embarrassment. He was her father. And she didn't know him at all.

"Good morning…Mister…er, father," Bella croaked, thankful for her untied hair, as she bowed her head even further down to let it fall around her face and hide her burning cheeks.

"Morning, Bella. How are you?" Her father, Charles Swan was a tall, intimidating man. His dark hair was short and trimmed. His eyes were a deep, deep brown, bordering black. The lines on his face were evidence of a difficult life, and his voice was a deep rumble. His posture was stiff and rigid. Bella was good at reading people. She could see he used his body as a way to keep people out. His hard attitude was a defense mechanism, and Bella didn't blame him at all. The world was a cruel, cruel place.

"Fine. I'm ready to go now, if you want," Bella said as she got up and went to the trash bin to dispose of her eaten apple.

"Isn't that skirt a little bit too short?" Another voice rang to Bella's ears. She turned around and stared at her sister, Victoria, who was dressed in a uniform identical to Bella's.

She was beautiful, Bella thought for the first time. She'd seen pictures of her, and had a vague idea of what she looked like, but she'd never seen her in life. When their father had picked Bella up from the airport, Victoria was nowhere to be seen. Apparently she was doing community service, and Bella hadn't minded. However, when she was home, it seemed Victoria planned her schedule so that she'd be out of the house when Bella woke up, and back when she was sleeping. Bella wasn't stupid. Victoria was avoiding her, but she hadn't the slightest clue why.

Bella looked her sister over. Victoria's hair was a vibrant shade of red, to start with. It was pin-straight and skimmed the tops of her shoulders. Her eyes were a lively color of green, and her face was blemish free. So was Bella's, so she guessed they shared that one trait. Although Victoria was very good-looking, she could feel the malicious vibes emitting from her presence.

Automatically, Bella felt her self-defenses kicking in.

"It's not my fault. I only had yesterday to find the school uniform, and I checked about every store in the mall, but none had skirts in my size. Either they were too big or too small. This," she explained, pointing to skirt, "was the closest thing to my size I could find. I know it's a bit short but I'll –"

"Don't care." Victoria waved her hand back, dismissing the topic. Bella's eyes widened at the blunt unkindness of her _twin _sister. She turned to look at her father. She wanted to know what he had to say about this. He was standing in front of the sink, washing out a coffee mug as if nothing had happened. Bella let out a small sigh. She knew she wasn't getting any help from that department. She told him she'd be waiting in the car, and breezed past the two.

She'd seen Victoria's smirk and felt anger slither into her body. What had she done to deserve her sister's cruelty? She hoped that, whatever it was, she'd get over it and at least attempt to act civil.

After starting the car, Bella slipped into the passenger seat and closed her eyes. She'd have a talk with Victoria after school today, and maybe they could go out from ice cream afterwards. It was still seasonably hot out, and a cold dish of the stuff could temporarily solve all of Bella's problems.

Her sister opened the door to passenger seat Bella was sitting in, and looked startled at her presence. She quickly recovered, and twisted her features back into that malicious scowl.

"Get. Out." Victoria's hissed, her tone cutting.

"Victoria, is this really necessary? I'm sorry if you think this is your seat, but it's comfortable up here, and I'm not moving. Maybe next time you'll have more sense to get to the car first." Bella stated calmly.

Her enraged eyes stared into Bella's for a moment before her face twisted into something to resemble happiness.

Was this girl off her rocker?

"Daddy, could you please tell Bella that I _always _sit up here? She doesn't want to move, even though I've asked her politely." Victoria's smile briefly reminded Bella of one of those Cheshire cat things.

Oh, so that's why. If Victoria wanted him to play favorites, always knowing he'd pick her over Bella, then fine. She'd never stoop down to such a ridiculous level anyway.

"Bella, she's right. You wouldn't mind moving to the back, right?" Charlie suggested, but she knew when she was being ordered. She silently picked up her bag and quietly seated herself in the chair behind her sister.

"Thanks, Dad. And thanks Bella." Victoria shot her a smile that looked more murderous than grateful.

Bella made a noise of response and took her iPod out of her blazer pocket. She didn't realize how much of a God-send it would be until Victoria started chatting about trivial and nonsensical things while their father just nodded in response.

She set the music player at full volume and closed her eyes, effectively shutting them both out of sight and mind.

* * *

Bella waved goodbye to her father before he sent a curt nod in her direction and sped away. She watched his car as it decreased in size. When it was completely out of sight, she turned to her sister, who was watching Bella with a hateful glare.

Bella replicated her immature sister's actions with a goofy grin, and rolled her eyes when Victoria stormed off haughtily, just as she predicted.

Bella walked to the front of the building where students were just starting to pile in. Most of them gave her curious stares, while others were appreciative, obviously coming from the boys. She discreetly tugged down on the hem of her skirt, knowing that length of it, or lack thereof, was the reason she was getting the unwanted gazes up and down her small body.

Stopping in front of what she thought was the main office, she checked the length of her skirt again, and pulled her knee high socks up higher when the skirt just wouldn't budge.

She looked the office over, admiring the sheer elegance of it. The walls were painted a rich gold, paintings of schools and houses and other buildings adorned the walls, and beautifully made posters describing upcoming events also graced the space around her.

Bella swatted the lock of hair that ended up in her face before approaching the secretary.

"Excuse me?" Bella said sweetly, waiting patiently for a response.

When the lady turned her head at her, she took that as an invitation to continue.

"Yes, my name is Isabella Swan. I transferred here a couple months ago, before summer started. I'm a senior, but more confused than a freshman." Bella laughed nervously at her pathetic attempt at a joke. The secretary hadn't even cracked a smile. In fact, her fingers were hovering over the keyboard, giving Bella the hint that the secretary could care less about Bella, and just wanted to get back to her job.

Bella swallowed. "I was wondering if I could have my schedule, and if you had a map of the school, that would be freakin' awesome." Bella groaned inwardly. She really should stop trying to be funny.

The secretary's mouth twitched, as if she was trying to hold back a smile. "Of course, hon." Just great, Bella thought sarcastically. _At least she's enjoying my discomfort_.

"You're going to love Pennington Academy." The secretary explained, while typing the information to retrieve Bella's file from the school system. "There are a lot of electives to choose from, the classes are invigorating, and the food isn't half bad."

Bella smiled politely, but she was secretly pleased. At least she wasn't the only one who cracked hideous jokes.

The lady printed out three sheets of paper and a plastic card. She handed all of those, along with a key chain, to Bella and smiled.

"I've given you your schedule, a map of the school – " She took in Bella's surprised expression and chuckled. "Yes, we really do have one of those. Anyway, it's your schedule, map, and a pass so security won't bother you. That card is your ID. You'll need it to gain entry to the building, and the cafeteria. If our food doesn't particularly suit you, you're able to leave campus. You just have to swipe your ID before you leave the building. If you don't swipe it in the following one hour, the system will deduce that you are skipping class, and you will be given one day's suspension. Is all this clear?"

Bella nodded.

"Any other questions, dear?" The secretary glanced at her watch. "I'm sorry, but Period 1 is starting in about one minute so you'll have to get going. If you're late, I can't help with that; that pass is only good for missing homeroom." She smiled apologetically. "If you need any help at all, ask for Mrs. Denton. My door is always open."

Bella's smile was now genuine as she waved goodbye to her first friend at this school. She cringed. Her first friend in New York was a middle-aged female secretary? Bella smiled again when she thought about the oddity of it.

The bell rang, and the empty hallway was flooded within seconds. Students coming from both directions bumped and shoved, eager to get to their next class. Bella was shoved particularly hard by one girl with huge glasses and a bowl haircut. She looked harmless and probably didn't mean it. But that didn't stop her things from falling everywhere. She bent down carefully and picked up her books. After realizing the size of the school, she knew she wouldn't be able to maneuver her way around herself. Looking at her schedule, Bella gently tapped the arm of the first boy she saw, and without waiting for him to turn around, she asked him where room 121 was. When she didn't hear a response, she looked up.

Well, damn.

He was very tall, that was one. Although everyone seemed tall to Bella's height of 5 feet and 4 inches. The first thing that struck her was the wild locks of bronze hair on his head. His body was long and lean. Even through the material of the navy blue uniform, she knew for a fact that his chest and abdomen were hard and muscled. His legs looked firm, and she almost gasped when she took in his face. His nose was straight and slightly pointed. His cheekbones were sharp, and his jaw was clenched. His eyes were a startling color of green. They were forest green, and had such a depth in them; she knew a countless number of girls got lost in them. He was…rough. Dark and hard. His entire demeanor screamed "Clichéd bad boy!" She knew to stay clear of those, but he was different. For some reason, she couldn't read him at all. Bella was very talented in deciphering people's actions and words; however, she couldn't see anything with him. It was like she was staring at a brick wall.

She asked him again, embarrassed for staring so hard, but he hadn't said anything, so she decided to ignore it, too.

"Hello? I'm sorry, but I don't wanna be late. Could you tell me where room 121 is?"

He just continued to stare coldly at her, and when she thought he would finally respond, he just stalked past her.

Bella whirled around in amazement. Why would he do such a thing? What the hell had she done to upset everyone today? Why had he just been staring at her? Was he mute? Was he –?

Bella watched in awe as the crowd subtly parted for him. The difference wasn't too large, but it was palpable. Kids running wildly only a few moments earlier slowed down to brisk walk when they saw him, or stopped altogether. She gaped at him for a few moments longer, and the shrill sound of the bell snapped her out of her daze.

"_Shit_!" Bella exclaimed, running down the halls, hopefully in the direction of the dreaded room 121.

--

Bella eventually did find room 121 and the other classes she had before lunch. Not with the help of anyone else, she thought bitterly.

Lunch came around, and the cafeteria was, by far, the easiest place to find. All she had to was follow the humongous crowd and the smell of delicious food being cooked. Who knew Mrs. Denton had been telling the truth?

Bella absently placed a hand on her flat stomach and groaned. Why was the line taking so long? After an agonizing 5 minutes, Bella reached the front of the line, paid for her pizza, and went out into the main cafeteria to find somewhere to sit.

She knew that'd be a problem.

Bella was sure she wasn't imagining the countless pairs of eyes watching curiously as she strode purposely to an empty table in the back. She pulled out a chair, sat down, and pretended to be oblivious to the uncomfortable amount of attention she was receiving. She lifted the pizza to her mouth and took a healthy bite. She heard a gasp and rolled her eyes. Hadn't they ever seen a girl eat pizza before?

She learned the real reason as a small crowd approached her table.

The three boys in the crowd looked at her questioningly, and so did the girls. One of them, a blonde, opened her lipstick-covered lips and asked, "You're new to this school, right?"

Bella momentarily forgot table manners and neglected to swallow her food before responding. She answered with a muffled, "Yeah, why?"

The blonde girl smiled condescendingly at Bella, and Bella felt her irritation rising. What, now?

"Um, hon, I'm sorry, but this is our table. We," she gestured at the six of them, "sit here," pointing to the table. "You," she started, pointing at a currently livid Bella, "sit there," and she jerked her thumb at a table where about five boys sat laughing stupidly at a magazine. The thing that irked Bella the most was that they all looked like the stereotypical nerds you see in stupid teenage movies.

Plus, déjà vu gave her headaches. Hadn't she already been through this seat crap this morning? Was there was some special seating chart that Bella had yet to know about?

"I'm sorry, I like it here. I'm not moving. However, you're free to join me. Some company'd be nice." Bella smiled, stating the truth. From her exact seat, she could see the garden of the school at a wonderful angle.

"Cause obviously you never get any," another of the girls murmured under her breath, but obviously not low enough, since another heard, and slapped her playfully on the arm.

"Listen, hon, there are _plenty_ of other tables to sit at. Me and my friends sit here, like, every freakin' day," the blonde girl was beginning to get pissed, "so would you please do us all a favor and get your ass out of _my_ seat and leave?!"

Bella snickered, which amused the boys, but only served to anger the blonde girl some more. The other girls behind her tried to look annoyed, but the amusement was evident in their faces.

"Listen, _hon_," deliberately mocking her choice of words, "I really like this seat, so would you do me a favor and either join me or leave, because, _hon_, there's really nothing you can do to make me move."

The girl stuttered, looking for a witty retort, but when none came, Bella went for the kill.

"And you could you close your mouth? Bella asked, moving her tray away from the blonde clone. "You're getting your spittle all over my pizza."

The boys laughed heartedly and Bella felt the undeniable triumph of victory when they pulled back their chairs and sat down. The others looked like they wanted to sit down, too, but Bella guessed if the blonde didn't approve, they didn't either.

"Come on, let her stay. I think she's cute." One of the boys claimed. His eyes were hazel, and hair black. "I'm Emmett. Who are you?"

"Isabella Swan. Pleasure to meet you, Emmett." She gave him her best smile and returned to her pizza.

"And she talks like a fucking aristocrat! We gotta let her stay, man." Emmett smiled back at her, but was speaking to the boy next to him.

The boy he was talking to introduced himself next. "I'm Jasper. How long you been in New York?"

Bella was about to answer his question when the blonde bitch Bella had already come to loathe spoke up. "You guys are hilarious. You're talking to her like she's actually important. Like she's worth something. Aren't they hilarious?" She turned to her cronies and waited for their answer.

They nodded vigorously and then simultaneously turned to scowl at her. Bella laughed from the utter idiocy of it all.

"Come on, Rosalie. Stop being such a bitch and just sit down." Emmett commanded. "And be nice," he added as an afterthought.

Jasper grinned at his friend, and Bella suddenly remembered there was a third one. Where did he go?

As if on cue, he strode back to the table, drinks in hand. He was very cute, she thought. She felt her cheeks start to warm, and turned her attention away from Jasper and Emmett, who were currently playing, who fucked the most girls?

Disgusted, Bella took another tasty bite of her pizza and ignored the stares boring into her head.

"Hi, I'm Jacob. I see you've met the gang?" The boy who she'd thought was cute was now sitting less than one foot away from her. He'd turned the chair backwards, so he was now straddling it, and fiddling with the lid on his soda bottle.

"I'm Isabella Swan, but please call me Bella." Bella blushed, despite all her attempts not to, and felt extremely foolish for letting a boy she barely knew affect her in such a way.

"Nice. So, what brings you to New York?" He asked conversationally. Bella bit her lip. She _hated_ small talk. She felt it was so boring and should be reserved to offices and things of that nature.

"Messy divorce," she replied simply. It wasn't exactly the truth, but she didn't know him well enough to give him all the details.

"Ah, I see. It's cool though, right? Twice the stuff?" He smiled boyishly, and it made Bella blush again. She smiled at his way of looking at things.

"I guess. Never really got that advantage, though. Damn." It was true. She'd never received anything from her father; not even a postcard.

"Sucks. So how's…" Jacob's voice faded away when she saw _him_. It was the same boy she'd encountered in the hallway. The one that ignored her so blatantly that she wanted to slap him. So why was he walking straight towards her?

He stopped behind Rosalie's chair and stared at the three boys.

"Why is she here?" He asked, his voice low and silky, and Bella's stomach tingled slightly. It was an odd feeling. She blamed it on the pizza, and pushed it away from her without a second thought.

"Ooh, you're not gonna eat that? Thanks, babe." Emmett grinned at Bella as she slid her plate to him. He downed it in ten seconds.

"Hey, no fair! I wanted that!" Jasper joked, and thumped Emmett on his back, telling him to spit it out. Emmett smirked at Jasper and asked, "Since when have you taken a liking to regurgitated pizza?"

Jasper responded by thumping Emmett's head and a mini-war involving used napkins and forks ensued.

The boy still hadn't gotten an answer and his eyes were deadly. He slammed a palm on the table, startling everyone at the table, except for Bella. She'd been staring at him, so she saw when he raised his arm and anticipated it.

"_Why_ is she here?"

Emmett pushed Jasper off him and scratched his head with the fork that somehow lodged itself into his hair.

"I don't know, cause she's cool? Why do you care, man? S'not like you talk to any of us anyway." Emmett removed the fork from his hair and threw it at Jasper.

"Yeah Edward, chill." Jasper caught the flying fork and tossed it on the table. "Can't you save your moodiness for some other time? Just, relax. Hang. Fart. Be a _dude_," Jasper laughed and relaxed in his chair. Edward obliged, taking a seat next to Rosalie, who she immediately turned her attention to.

So that was his name, Bella mused. She let her gaze travel down his form again, shyly admiring his obvious beauty. She desperately wished he would look at her. Just to let her know he acknowledged her presence. She didn't know why, but he was so..._interesting_. She wanted to know everything about him .Why he was so unfriendly, the reason behind the scar on his eyebrow, why he was gazing at her so intently…

He was? Bella blinked, and sure enough, he was staring dead at her.

"Yes?" Bella asked boldly.

She wanted him to respond. Talk to her. Direct that attractive voice towards her.

She blanched. There was nothing _attractive_ about Edward. He was cold and callous, she reminded herself.

He continued looking at her, then scowled and turned his head to look out the window. He watched the garden and Bella saw his hard face soften slightly. So he was a tree hugger, too? She smiled at that.

"How do you like New York so far?" Jacob asked. Bella hated the incoming questions but dealt with them anyway. She knew she was extremely lucky to have made, in her opinion, such popular friends on her first day.

"It's good. Too many…people, though. I'm more of a country girl." Bella explained. She was uncomfortable with New York. The lights and constant noise kept her awake at night and all the people made her jittery. She'd rather live miles away from her next-door neighbor than have them practically on top of her.

"I see. Well, you'll get used to it." Jacob said.

Bella simply nodded. She felt the hairs on her neck prickle, something that only happened when someone was watching her. She looked up, and sure enough, Edward was looking at her with that same hard expression again. His eyes were chillingly dark, and his face was twisted with suppressed anger.

What was his _problem_?

* * *

**  
**

**I know that was a stupid way to end a chapter but I was tired of writing. I answer any and all questions (except ones revealing the plot) so ask away. In case anyone is confused, I'm gonna explain everything here.**

**Bella was living in Arizona with Renee and Phil (duh), and Charlie decided he should spend some time with his daughter before she went off to college. So he asked for her, and Renee gave her to him (wow I make her sound like a thing. Anyways…). Victoria is Bella's FRATERNAL twin sister. I know their enemies in the book but I just wanted Bella to have a sister. :-). What else…? Okay, the lunch group consists of Jasper, Emmett, Jacob, and Edward for the guys, and Rosalie, Leah, and Lauren for the girls. So in total, its 7 kids. Yes, I know Bella moved to Washington in the book and movie, but I like NY better, so that's where she is now. Deal with it. I don't know what else you might be confused about, so don't hesitate to ask!**

**I seriously would love it if you guys reviewed this because this story has been in my mind for a while, and putting it down on (virtual) paper is really satisfying. It's been nagging me for a while, so…yeah. =)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. If I owned Edward, however, well let's just say there would be a whole bunch of "Nessies" running around. **

**.2.**

34-12-28. Bella entered the combination and jiggled the lock.

Open, damn it! She roared inside her head. She banged on the locker three times before spinning the dial again. She exhaled slowly and put in the combination. She gently lifted the lock, and…

_Fuck_! She huffed. She kicked the locker below hers and stomped angrily toward her next class. She'd become familiar with the senior wing of the school yesterday and entered room 139. She was surprisingly early.

She raced to the back, her favorite place to sit. She sat, loving the way the cool chair felt against the backs of her legs. Bella looked down to see that her skirt was so far up; a small gust of wind would have her disciplined for "indecent exposure". Bella hadn't gotten around to buying any new skirts and Bella didn't have the desire nor money to do so. The skirt was comfortable in this unbelievably hot weather, and if Victoria thought it was too short, she could kiss Bella's ass.

She sat tugging helplessly at the skirt when she felt a presence near.

"You keep pulling at that thing, it'll fall off." A short girl with spiky black hair smiled at down at her, mentioning toward her skirt.

"Yeah, well…"Bella trailed off, not really knowing what to say to the pretty stranger.

"Alice Cullen. You?" The girl sat down next to her, pulled a pink binder out of her Coach bag and turned to a fresh page.

"Bella." Feeling a bit disoriented, turned her body toward the front, subtly ending the conversation between the two of them.

"You know, I can really understand where people are coming from when they say you're a frigid bitch." Alice said nonchalantly as she pressed her fluffy pen to her book.

Bella's head snapped up, her stomach bubbling with anger and another emotion she hadn't wanted to recognize – hurt. That's what they were calling her? A frigid bitch? She'd only been here since yesterday and everybody already knew her. Worse, they knew her, and were already judging her. Bella felt pricks at the backs of her eyes and clamped down on her jaw. As if crying would solve anything.

"Really?" Bella said carefully. Her voice was controlled and hard. "Well, if I'm such a bitch, why are you talking to me?"

"It's a mask, Bella. I should know. I did the same exact thing on my first day here." Alice put down her pen and stared at her intently.

Bella felt a wave of unwanted emotions as she held Alice's gaze. The only one she chose to acknowledge was surprise, and even that Bella kept from showing.

"Okay." Bella said briskly before turning back to the front. Kids were pouring in and giving her curious glances. Bella smiled to herself, not really knowing why, but it felt better knowing what they thought of her.

"Okay. It won't be easy today, though." Alice said. She smiled a little before picking up her pen and resuming her earlier task.

Bella sighed. What the hell did that mean? It wouldn't be easy today? She glanced at Alice, but she was already hard at work. Whatever. She didn't have the time to decode the stranger's cryptic messages. She had more pressing matters to deal with. Like lunch.

---

Lunch, without a doubt, was Bella's favorite time of the day. Her mouth watered at the mere thought of what they'd be serving today.

After paying for her lunch, Bella walked over to the "popular table" and prepared herself for an onslaught of dirty looks and inappropriate table discussions.

Bella stopped short when she saw her destination.

The table was completely empty, with a piece of paper sitting on the edge. Her curiosity getting the best of her, Bella snatched it and read.

_Sorry Bella. _

That was all it said. Sorry Bella. Not an explanation or anything. Just those two words, and Bella felt like dying.

No, she felt like running. Her heart started pumping faster, as if she was back on the school track in Arizona, soles thumping on the asphalt, the wind dancing through her hair. Bella crushed the note with her fist, and dropped it back onto the table. She walked away to find a place to sit, but the varying pitying and mocking stares she was receiving were too much to handle, and Bella made her way out to the school's gardens.

She found a quiet spot away from wandering eyes, guessing that the gardens were off-limits to the students. She felt stinging at the backs of her eyes, and sighed. How had she gotten herself into this predicament on her second day at school? She'd promised herself she wouldn't get close to anyone. Just study, pass her classes, and graduate. All thoughts of having a special senior year, complete with crazy antics and parties, went out the window the second she landed in New York. She knew it was foolish to think she'd make friends, friends that would allow her to believe she'd be able to have a memorable senior year. How wrong she was.

Bella let her mind wander, and soon she was no longer on the private property of Pennington Academy, but at a happier, more welcoming place. Visions of her walking to her locker hand in hand with Eric, her old boyfriend, flitted through her mind, and her heart wrenched again.

"Bella." The soft voice of a girl reached Bella's ears, and her eyes shot open. She hadn't realized she was so deep in her thoughts that she was unaware of her surroundings. She looked up into the concerned face of Alice Cullen, and a pang of sadness hit her. Why? Had she been expecting someone else? Bella didn't want to admit it to herself, but she had. She told herself that she hated the group with a passion, but she knew if one of them had come to apologize, she'd go back to them, like a lost puppy.

"Bella?" The now tentative voice pulled Bella out of her thoughts yet again. She should really learn how to be more attentive. She couldn't be in her thoughts all the time, no matter how easy it would make her life.

Bella flew up from her sitting position, and smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles from her uniform.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to be here. I was just leaving. Please don't tell anyone." Bella quickly apologized, for more than just trespassing. She felt disgusted at her cold behavior she'd showed Alice that morning, and felt an apology was in order.

"I'm not gonna report you," she said, a smile tugging on her lips. "I was looking for you, actually. I wanted to know if you wanted to go shopping with me. I need some new outfits and my mom just put money in my credit card. I didn't know who to ask, and I certainly wasn't gonna ask my brother." She smirked at this, but continued. "So, how about it?"

Speechless was an understatement. Bella was baffled. How had she acted so maliciously towards Alice, only to have her offer a free shopping spree?

"Um, sure. Why not?" Bella said, shrugging. She appeared nonchalant on the surface, but underneath she was reeling. Half her mind was screaming with happiness and delight at the prospect of a new friend, but the other half was skeptical and wary of Alice's actions. She stared straight in Alice's face and eyes, looking for a glint in her eye or a twitch, anything to prove that she was insincere. However, her face was open and trusting. This girl was dead serious.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Bella said with a little more conviction, now that she knew Alice's intentions were good ones. In turn, the pixie smiled brightly, and Bella felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, her senior year would turn out the way it was supposed to.

---

Things weren't getting any better at home. Victoria was still avoiding Bella like the plague, and if she didn't know any better, she'd think her father was giving her the cold shoulder.

This was Bella's home, yet it felt as impersonal as a public bathroom. Sure, there were pictures of Victoria and her father adorning the walls, but that was all. There were no trophies or plaques, no report cards, no calendars, no A+ essays on the refrigerator. There was a plasma television in the living room, her father's room, and her sister's room. She, however, had to find scraps of money so she could buy her own.

Dinner was terrible. They'd sit around the table, and eat as if they were complete strangers. Bella, of course, was stuck with making dinner, so after she prepared that, she sat in the kitchen, waiting for the rest of her family to come home. They'd sit down at the table and eat in complete silence. The only noise was the sound of metal scraping against plates, which sickened Bella.

Bella would take their plates into the kitchen, and the two of them would vanish from the table. From there, Bella would spend the rest of her night in her room either doing homework or watching television.

She was alone, and she hated it.

She'd been here for a month, and was already living in a rut. Wake up, go to school, have lunch with Alice and her friends, go home, do homework, prepare dinner, suffer through said dinner with awkward silences and glances, do more homework, watch TV, go to sleep. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Bella was sick of it. She was so desperate for a change, that she even considered going to one of those teenage "the parents are away" parties, filled with alcohol, vulgar dancing, and sex. She'd been to a few in Arizona, and didn't particularly like them, so the fact that she was willing to go to one was really saying something.

Bella walked inside the school that morning, and was immediately accosted by a hyper Alice. It was routine for Alice to burst upon Bella without warning, but she'd yet to get used to it.

"Guess what?" She said, slipping her arm around Bella's. They didn't have first period together, but she never failed to walk with Bella to hers. Bella, at first, protested to this. She didn't want Alice getting in trouble for being late, but she'd insisted it wasn't a problem.

"What? You overdosed on coffee again? Newsflash, Alice, but that isn't exactly big news. You do it every morning."

"Oh, hush. And I so did not overdose on coffee," She claimed, but the empty extra large cup with the Starbucks label in her hand was a dead giveaway.

"Sure, you didn't," Bella rolled her eyes. "You just carry around ginormous _empty_ cups of coffee for the fun of it."

"Hmm? Oh, this?" Alice asked, lifting up the cup. She chucked it over her shoulder, and it hit the ground with a soft thud. "Anyway, back to my big news."

Bella gaped at Alice's behavior, but didn't interrupt. It wasn't her problem if she wanted to litter. She nodded at Alice to continue.

"Even though you didn't guess, I'll tell you anyway. So you know Mike, right?" Bella bit back an exasperated groan. Of _course_ she knew Mike. He was one of Alice's friends that followed them to _Toni's_, the Italian restaurant they usually went to for lunch. He followed them, or more specifically, followed Bella around like a stray puppy. He was always complimenting her and holding doors open for her. The crush he had on her was obvious, but he didn't have to do it in such a childish way. He was cute, so Bella didn't have such a problem with it. If only he wasn't so damn annoying, Bella would seriously consider dating him.

"Ugh, do I want to know?"

Alice only smiled at her friend's irritation. She knew of Mike's infatuation with Bella, and thought it was sweet. "Ha, ha. But yes, you do wanna know. He's having a party this weekend and –"

Bella interrupted Alice with a hand. There was no way she'd be going to one of those ridiculous parties. Sure, she'd been more than willing before, but she'd dubbed that as a momentary lapse in sanity. "No."

Alice brought down Bella's hand and put on a pouting face. "Why? You wouldn't want me to go alone, would you?" She whined.

Bella continued walking. There were more students pouring in, letting Bella know school would be starting soon. She looked at her watch. 7:57. Alice had three minutes to plead her case.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed as she caught up to her friend. "Please, please, please come with me! It's gonna be so much fun, I promise you. Mike personally told me to invite you, because usually these things are done by word of mouth, but nuh uh, no way, he told me to specifically tell you to come, and you know how much it'll mean to him if you show up! You don't even have to stay! Just show up, say hello to Mike, and he'll die from happine-"

Bella couldn't take it anymore. She'd rather be groped by drunken bastards at that party than listen to her friend babble. "I'll come! Just shut the hell up, _please_. You're killing me here."

Alice stared, uncomprehending, until her entire face lit up, and she threw her tiny arms around Bella. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it, I swear it!" She exclaimed, turning down the corridor to get to her own class.

Bella shook her head, but sighed happily. She didn't really want to go, but Alice promised she'd have fun, and in their month of friendship, she knew never to bet against Alice.

Slipping into her seat, she played with her pen, waiting for the rest of her classmates to arrive. Soon enough, the bell rang, and the class was bustling with excited students. She caught tidbits of their chatter, and sure enough, it was about Mike's party this Saturday.

The teacher calmed them down, and the class soon fell into a silence, with only sounds of pens scraping against paper filling the room.

"Mr. Stokes transferred me here." A melodic voice broke the silence, and Bella looked towards the offender. Her eyes widened as she bit back a startled gasp. Edward.

He was standing at the front of the classroom, looking gorgeous as ever in his pressed school uniform, speaking to their Global Studies teacher, Mr. Newman.

They finished speaking in hushed tones, and Edward turned towards the class. Bella bit her cheek and crossed her legs. His overwhelming beauty was intimidating, but she wanted to show she wasn't the least bit affected by it. Which was a complete lie. In the month she'd been at Pennington Academy, she was ashamed to admit that her mind had been plagued by thoughts of Edward. She had dreams about him, saw him in magazines and TV; it seemed that his very image was burned into her retinas. And in that same month, she realized she had a small crush on him.

It was completely foolish, she knew. She was ashamed even to admit it to herself, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't true. Although he'd been nothing but cruel and distant, she knew he wasn't like that. He was just…guarded, she deemed. She knew his walls were a way to keep people out; to stop anyone from knowing him. She didn't know why, but that was what she intended to find out.

He walked towards her, well, towards the only empty desk in the room, which of course happened to be next to her. He hadn't even spared her a glance, for which Bella was grateful. She didn't know if she'd be able to keep up the cool façade if he directed his chilly green eyes at her.

He sat down, and Bella immediately smelled a delightful scent. It was cologne, she knew, but what _was_ it? She'd never smelled anything so delectable in her 17 years. She inconspicuously leaned closer to him, and took a silent whiff. Dear God, her knees were weak at the mere _smell_ of him.

She didn't need his distraction. Nope, no way. He'd be the death of her. She decided to tune the world out; Mr. Newman wasn't saying anything she hadn't heard before, and with Edward in such close proximity to her, she was sure she'd melt. She pulled her iPod's earbuds from her pocket and pushed them in her ears, and placed her head in her arms. Maybe if she pretended he wasn't there, she'd be able to get through the next 52 minutes.

Bella woke up when she felt a light tapping on her arm. Startled, she woke up, and started apologizing, thinking she was caught by the teacher, but it was only Edward. Wait, Edward? He was actually acknowledging her?

"The teacher assigned us questions from the book and we're supposed to work with a partner," He clarified. She tugged the buds from her ears and looked around, and sure enough, the class was scurrying around to pair up with their friends. So why had he chosen her?

Probably because she was the last resort, Bella deduced. The only reason Edward would voluntarily talk to her was because he liked her, and Bella was sure he didn't.

They'd be sharing a desk, so he grabbed the nearest chair and placed it to the left of Bella. He stared at her closed book, then up at Bella's faced, and spoke.

"Shall we begin?" He inquired. Bella, her throat feeling inexplicably dry at the moment, simply nodded, and opened the book, flipping through the pages when she realized she didn't know what page they were on.

"489," he said, staring at the book. Bella scowled, but turned to the page. They worked in silence, but Bella took note of when Edward's hand stopped moving across the page. What the hell? It'd only been 10 minutes! They were supposed to answer 16 short answer questions, and Bella was still having trouble with the fourth one. But she rolled her eyes when the answer dawned on her. He was perfect.

"How are you, Bella?" His musical voice questioned. Bella looked up at him; he was sitting with him arms crossed, but that wasn't what surprised her. His eyes. They were bright and…dazzling. She was sure his eyes were not that light the last time she'd seen him. Maybe those were contacts. These light eyes made him look friendly, so he'd gotten dark contacts to add to his dark demeanor.

Bella looked back down and continued to write, pointedly ignoring him. She thought she heard a chuckle, but it was too soft to tell.

"Still not speaking to me?" He asked again, and Bella's ears pained at the beautiful sound. She didn't understand his question. Were they ever even speaking in the first place?

She placed her pen on her book, deciding she was finished. She'd reached number 13; that was good enough. "No, not really. We were never even speaking to begin with."

Edward's face remained blank, and Bella desperately wished she could see inside his mind. "I see. Why's that?"

Because you acted like a fucking jerk the first time you saw me, she wanted to say, but she bit her tongue. Instead, she whispered furiously, "Because you and your stupid friends ditched me last month!"

Bella was surprised at how quickly his eyes darkened. His jaw clenched, and defiance was rolling off him in waves. "It was Rosalie. She suggested we move since to a new table since our old one was too small. We all knew that was bull, but went along with it anyway."

Again, Bella was surprised at his behavior. She half expected him to just glare at her before shifting his chair away, but he'd actually responded. Wow.

"So? Rosalie's not the Queen of England; you guys don't have to do whatever she wants. I doubt she really made all of you move; she's just one person."

Edward closed his eyes, sighed, and when his eyes opened, they were a darker color, but instead of being full of anger and irritation, they were weary.

"Look. Rosalie is dating Emmett, and Leah's dating Jacob. So if they want to do something, the guys are going to go along with it, because they don't want to upset their girlfriends. Since Rosalie is basically the leader of the girls, what she says, goes. Lauren, the other girl, would follow her friends, along with their boyfriends, leaving me and Jasper by ourselves. Not really much of a crowd, don't you think?"

Bella marveled at the fact that Rosalie went through so much trouble just to get away from her. But that wasn't what upset her. What really hurt her was the fact that everyone knew the motive behind Rosalie's suggestion to move, and nobody had done a damn thing about it. The girls, she expected, but the guys? She thought they genuinely liked her. She shook her head internally at how ridiculous she was being. Why in the world would they side with her, a stranger, over their friends? They didn't really care about her. Not at all.

"But why? I hadn't done anything to Rosalie. She's acting as if I killed her dog. She could've just gone on ignoring me, but she went above and beyond. Why?"

Edward's eyebrows raised slightly, his expression one of surprise. "Bella, you're one of the prettiest girls in our school. Obviously she sees you as a threat. Rosalie's a bit dramatic, so the thought of anyone's beauty rivaling hers is blasphemy in her eyes." He rolled his eyes at the end of his comment, but Bella's heart was beating an unhealthy rate.

Her? Pretty? Bella knew that she wasn't ugly, but the idea of her being one of the prettiest girls in their grade, let alone the school, was absurd. But that wasn't the real reason she felt as if her knees were going to give out. It was because Edward thought so. _He_ thought she was attractive, and her heart soared.

Clearing her throat, she answered. "You're crazy." She wanted to say more, but her throat felt dry, and it would end up sounding incredibly hoarse.

He looked at her for a moment longer, and Bella felt her face flaming. She turned back towards her book and attempted to answer the remaining questions, when she felt cool fingertips on her hand which was currently in her lap.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said. Bella looked up into his face, a mistake on her part, and saw nothing but remorse. His eyes were still their intense, dark color, but they weren't hostile anymore. And they weren't glaring at her either, she realized. Just simply looking.

Bella swallowed. She opened her mouth to reply, but the teacher made an announcement, cutting her off.

"The bell will ring shortly, so hurry up and turn in your papers. I will be here after school to accept late papers if you don't finish before the bell rings."

The moment was gone. Bella so desperately wanted to say something, anything to him, but his fingers were no longer on her hand, and his face was a mask again.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. But really, all she wanted was to be friends with Edward.

And if she was lucky, maybe they'd be more.

* * *

**Thanks for the response last chapter…3 reviews…God, my writing can't be THAT bad, can it? Well I'm only 14, I guess I can suck for now. :-) but seriously? thanks so much; even the smallest feedback made my day. Just to let you know, next chapter will be an Edward chapter, so get ready for that. I don't know how to get inside a guy's head, so if it seems too girly, I'm terribly sorry. Lol, I'll try my best, though. Later, taters! Ooh wait; if I didn't already say this, I'm saying it now. EVERYONE IS HUMAN. And some are way OOC, like Bella. Confident and fierce Bella? Psshh, please. And, and, and…if you're upset that Rosalie is such a bitch or that I'm exaggerating her meanness, HAVE PATIENCE. She will not be such a biotch throughout the whole story; its just for the beginning. I would say more but I don't wanna give away too much. So byee! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I don't even own a copy of it. I had to read it by borrowing it from my sister. **

**.3. **

Edward slammed his History book closed on his desk and sighed before putting his head in his hands.

It was eight in the evening, and usually by this time he was either reading leisurely or working on a song. However, his homework still wasn't done, and he was a diligent student so he didn't intend to do anything until it was done.

Except that damn Isabella Swan was in his head the moment he met her.

He didn't understand why he kept thinking about her. She was nothing special. A pretty girl, that was all. She probably didn't have any brains, just like the rest of them.

So why was she affecting him so?

He'd never held any real interest for anybody in his entire life. He was the player that you read about in books and saw in movies. He was gorgeous, he knew, and had the ability to render women speechless. He was smart, handsome, charming, rich, the whole fucking enchilada. He threw away women like used Kleenex. Never did he think twice about them.

In fact, he found the female sex to be quite amusing. They'd dress up in their mommy's clothes and makeup, come on to him, and he'd flirt back, making them think they've accomplished some huge task. Then he'd date them for a while, have a romp or two in the hay, and be done with them. He found the ones who thought they could change his womanizing manner especially comical.

He just didn't like them, couldn't they understand? He was an eighteen year old boy with hormones. Obviously he had needs to fulfill, and they were there at his disposal.

But Bella…

Who was this maddening girl? She was immensely beautiful, yes, but Edward was sure he'd seen prettier. Maybe it was her eyes. He closed his eyes, seeing hers in his mind. They were such a fantastic, rich, color. Deep pools of never-ending brown. Bright and wide, like a curious kitten. He let his mind wander. Those legs of hers. How had she expected any male in her vicinity to even think coherently when she wore that stupid skirt? It wasn't even the appropriate length. He wondered how she'd gotten away with wearing it for so long.

Not that he minded.

No, no, no. He was not thinking like that. He couldn't be thinking like that. Bella didn't seem like the girl to have a one night stand, but that was exactly what he wanted.

Yes, that was it. He realized he hadn't a girl in a while, and she'd be the perfect sexual release. Except, she wasn't willing.

He heard a knock at his door, but before he could answer, his younger sister stepped in.

"Hey, Edward," Alice, still clad in her school uniform, said brightly, leaning her hip against the doorframe.

"Did I say you could enter?" He scowled, placing his hands behind him on his bed.

"Nope, but looks I did anyway." His sister slowly made her way to his desk and eyed the mess of papers and pens. "You're not finished?" She asked, tracing the cover of the thick textbook with manicured fingers.

"No." He wasn't about to tell his sister that he couldn't concentrate on homework because he was too sexually frustrated.

"That's not like you. Something wrong?" Alice asked, sitting down on the plush comforter.

Edward felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. Alice was always sticking her pointy little nose where it didn't belong. He loved her to death, but sometimes his sister was just…too much.

"Jasper asked about you today," Edward tried, hoping to veer Alice away from trying to discuss him and his problems.

Her face lifted into a brilliant smile as she gushed, "Really? What'd he say?"

It was no secret that Alice had a crush on Jasper, one of his good friends. Jasper usually came over to study or play soccer in their spacious backyard, and ever since the two had met, Alice wouldn't stop talking about him. And if Edward wasn't mistaken, it seemed Jasper was taken with her, too.

"He wants to know if you're going to Mick's birthday party." Edward said cautiously. Jasper really hadn't said anything, so the lie was coming from the top of his head.

"Mick? It's Mike, and it's not his birthday. But yes, I'm going. Is he?" Alice asked eagerly, her eyes wide and impatient.

"Yeah, sure." Edward said with a shrug. He didn't like lying to his sister, but she was annoying him at the moment, and he felt he was ready to tackle his homework again.

"Okay, great," Alice said with a smile. She hopped up from his desk chair and made for the door, but before she left, she turned and spoke. "Don't think I've forgotten about you. We'll talk later."

Edward opened his mouth to protest, but Alice had already left.

As much as he hated it, his mind drifted back towards the sultry beauty that was Bella. He'd made such a mess of things when it came to her. His mouth curved downwards when he'd remembered their first encounter.

He'd been walking to his next class when he received a text message from Jasper. He'd been reading it when he felt a soft tap on his bicep. Before he could yell at the unsuspecting victim for touching him, he was staring into the prettiest chocolate eyes he'd seen in his life. And to think, he thought brown was a boring color. He dimly registered her saying something about room 121, but he was too busy admiring her face, he was temporarily rendered speechless. Edward let out a dry chuckle when he remembered this. Usually it was women who lost their ability to speak, not him.

After walking away from her from immense embarrassment, he berated himself. How could he have been so stupid? Letting a _girl_ affect him like that. Had he lost his mind? It didn't help that she'd been clouding his thoughts for the rest of the day, so when he saw her at _his_ lunch table, talking with _his_ friends, he nearly lost it. Was she out to get him? Make him trip and stutter like a lovesick fool? He wanted to scream. This was _anything_ but love. There was a fine line between love and hate, but in his case, it was a mile wide. He'd never love Bella. She was a curse; something sent by whatever deity there was in the world to punish him for his womanizing ways. Make him feel what he'd been doing to women for the past four years. He'd be damned if he let himself feel anything towards her, even lust.

It was hate. Such a passionate emotion that it was often confused for love. But he knew he'd never be so stupid as to mistake the two. He'd hate her, and there was nothing she could do to change that.

* * *

"Can I come to your house, later?" Lauren asked, running her fingers down the zipper of Edward's jacket.

"No, we're still fumigating, remember?" Edward told her, but mentally rolling his eyes at her stupidity. She'd believe any excuse in a heartbeat, just because it came from him.

"Oh! Silly me." She chuckled. "Call me then, 'kay?"

Edward promised that he would, but as he started the engine of his silver Volvo, he knew he would do no such thing. For some reason, Lauren'd become a nuisance to him. He no longer cared for her affections, for her body in his bed. He tried not to think about when it started, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't know.

Two months ago, the time Bella'd started attending Pennington Academy. He ran a trembling hand over his face and groaned.

As much as he hated to admit it, Bella was fucking up his mind. It seemed the way his thoughts always drifted back to Bella was involuntary. He sighed, this time more angrily, and stomped down on the gas. It provided little comfort, but driving was to him as meditating was to hippies. It calmed him; provided a sense of ease.

He pulled into the driveway, but not before seeing Alice's pricey yellow Porsche occupying her space. He was surprised; Alice was never home this early. Usually she was out gallivanting with her dim-witted friends. Why she associated with the vapid girls that inhabited their school was beyond him. The only girls he approved of were Rosalie and Leah, and only because they were dating his best friends.

Well, Rosalie was okay. Leah, not so much. She was clingy and annoying and sometimes he questioned her sexuality. It wasn't odd for girls to behave affectionately towards each other, but Leah crossed the line one too many times. Plus, Jacob wasn't all that great either. He was undoubtedly a hanger-on; always following in Edward's footsteps. His sudden interest in how to get his hair "tousled, yet sexily unkempt" surely wasn't brought on overnight. If there was one thing Edward couldn't stand, was a follower; a brainless sycophant that had no mind of its own.

Edward shrugged his expensive leather jacket off and onto the coat hanger near the front door.

"Alice?" His deep, baritone voice carried and echoed off the walls. "Alice, where are you?" The house was still, and Edward probably would have decided that Alice had simply gone for a walk when a feminine giggle reached his ears.

He walked more slowly now; cautious of his surroundings. He knew he wasn't in any really danger, but he wasn't about to take chances.

He heard another sound, but this was different from the first. It was feminine, but this was more of an annoyed sigh.

The giggles were getting louder, so Edward kept his steady pace towards the den.

And suddenly, the dark-haired beauty that plagued his dreams came into view.

"Alice, give me back my – Oh!" Bella stuttered, her cheeks already beginning to darken. "I thought you were Alice." She smiled tentatively, and Edward fought the ridiculous urge to wrap his arms around her. But then what would that solve?

"Well, obviously I'm not." He said, almost harshly. He swore under his breath when the weak smile completely dropped from her lips and a tight line formed. He could see her entire posture change. She was on the defense, just because of that one comment. Had he really messed things up so badly that she felt the need to put up a wall between them?

But then again, that's what he wanted, right?

She crossed her arms over her chest, and Edward almost looked down to see what it caused for her cleavage, but was grateful he didn't. She was staring at him and he didn't want to get slapped for being a pervert. Other girls might have welcomed the attention, but Edward was beginning to see she wasn't like other girls.

"Are you always such an ass?" She huffed. It was adorable, the way she got angry. Her bottom lip jutted out and her eyebrows creased in indignation, yet her beauty remained untainted.

"Only when I'm around you." Edward said, not missing a beat. "Are you always such a bitch?"

Surprise flickered across her face, and for a minute Edward felt remorse, but her face hardened again when she responded. "I don't have time for this. Have you seen Alice or Angela? They have my book."

"No, I just got here." Just then, a high-pitched snigger caused the both of them to look towards the kitchen, and Angela and Alice emerged.

"Ugh, there you guys are! Give me back my book." Bella stepped from Edward and tried to retrieve the worn leather-bound journal.

"What is that?" Edward asked, his curiosity overpowering his will to look uninterested.

Bella opened her mouth, most likely to send some scathing retort his way, when Angela answered for her.

"It's her _journal_." Angela cried in a sing-song voice. Edward looked towards Bella, and was surprised to see her fists clenched tightly behind her back.

_What the hell's her problem? They're just playing around with her._

"Yeah, Ang. It's my journal. Could I please have it back?" Bella said through clenched teeth.

She was ignored though, and Edward felt a small pang of pity. He knew how annoying Angela and Alice could be when teamed up against someone.

"She's so boring, Edward," Alice spoke to him. "We're trying to paint our nails and gossip and act like moronic teenage girls, but Miss Swan's too busy writing in her journal. That thing is like attached to her hip."

Bella used this distraction to swipe the book from her friend's hands. "Thanks, babe." Bella shot Angela a toothy grin, to which Angela just blushed and looked away.

"Come on, guys. Back to my room; we've got things to discuss." Angela and Alice trooped back up the stairs. Bella shot Edward a pleading look, but he just shook his head and grinned.

"You're on your own," he mouthed.

Bella just turned and followed them up the stairs. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when the door slammed in the distance. What had that been all about? He expected Bella to run in the other direction whenever she saw him, but that act right there; if he didn't know any better, he'd have thought they were friends.

He mentally scoffed and went into the den. He took a seat on the couch and instantly relaxed. It'd been a while since he'd just sat back and watched television.

An hour or so must have passed before Edward felt another presence in the room. His eyes drifted open and found Bella sitting on one of the arms of the white sofa.

Her eyes stayed glued to the television, but from the way her arms were crossed, he could tell something was on her mind.

He stared at her for some time until he couldn't take the silence any longer. "What?"

Bella turned sharply, as if she hadn't known he was there. "What do you mean, 'what'?"

"I mean, what the hell do you want. You come in here and stare at the TV, which is muted if you didn't know, lookin' pissed as hell, and you expect me not ask what the hell's up? That's what 'what' means."

Bella hesitated, and then uncrossed her arms. She looked at Edward, almost analyzing him, before running a hand through her locks. "I hate your sister."

He bit back a laugh. She looked so adorably annoyed; it was hard to dislike her. "What do you expect me to do about that?"

"You're the one that asked me what was the matter! Now you're biting my head off because I'm answering your question? I hardly see how that makes sense."

Edward got up from the couch and stretched. The uncomfortable position he'd slept in was doing a number on him. As he twisted and turned, he caught sight of Bella eyeing him more carefully. The look on her face was all too familiar. He'd seen it on countless other girls before.

"Like what you see?"

She quickly fixed her expression, but it was too late. He could have fun with this.

He walked over to her, and put his hands on either side of her. He leaned in, but kept a safe enough distance. He'd screw everything up if he ended up giving in to his desires and kissing her himself.

"Hm?" He whispered.

"No. I've seen better. You don't even _compare_." She kept her voice light and teasing, but the faint tremble wasn't lost on him.

"Sure about that, Isabella?" Edward could see her eyes slowly drifting closed as he minimized the gap between them. But then she did something he definitely didn't expect.

"Positive." And she pushed him so hard that he, caught off guard, stumbled and fell backwards onto his rear.

"Fuck you, Edward. I'm not one of your insipid cronies, and if you thought I'd fall for that bullshit, you're stupider than you look." She sneered derisively at him and climbed up the stairs to join her friends.

Edward stared at the staircase she'd just climbed and blinked slowly. Had that really just happened? No, really…had that _really_ happened?

As he got up from the hardwood floor, he flexed a bit. _Nope, no bruises. Well, at least not of the physical kind._ His ego'd taken quite a hit.

And if Edward had any doubt about this before, there certainly weren't any now. Yes, he was sure of it now. Bella was definitely unlike any other girl.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, this chapter felt so stupid. Idk, I just can't do boy POV. I'll keep trying though. You guys can just tell me what's wrong with it so I can fix it. I don't know where this story's going…like I'm pretty confused as to what to write next, that's why this is so blah. I have a couple scenes written out, if only I knew what to put in-between! Suggestions will be appreciated! Oh, and thanks for the response last chapter. 5 MORE REVIEWS! I smile whenever I get just 1, so imagine how I felt when I saw FIVE more! LAUGHING! Lol no, but I was smiling pretty darn widely. **

**Last question…Should I change this story's POV to like "I looked at him," instead of "Bella looked at him,"? You know what I mean? I feel pretty comfortable writing with both, but sometimes I have to change the 'I's to their names…Idk; just tell me something I'm so dying of writers block. Review or die. Peace out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Twilight or any of the characters. I do own a terrible cold though. That's why this chapter is up so late. :-D**

**.4.**

Bella ran her fingers through her hair and gave it one last tussle before turning to her friend. "You done yet, Al?"

"Mm," Alice made a noncommittal noise as she applied mascara to her already impossibly long lashes. "Almost."

The two were sitting in Alice's "beauty room" which consisted of two vanity mirrors with makeup sets on both of them, complete with blush, mascara, eyelash curler, foundation, lipstick, and any other beautifying tool you could think of. There was a party at some girl Tanya's house tonight, and unsurprisingly, they were invited.

Bella wasn't surprised when the invitation came in the mail, though. Being friends with two of the most popular kids at Pennington Academy had its perks.

She blinked her kohl-lined eyes at that thought. Friends with Alice, definitely. But Edward? They weren't even enemies; strangers with a mutual friend was more like it. Ever since the sofa incident, she'd made it a priority to stay away from him. Although it was only a week ago, she felt it to be a lot longer. It was weird not seeing him around.

Not for the first time, she questioned her crush on Edward, if she could even call it that. She didn't like him exactly, but she didn't dislike him either. She frowned upon his "fuck 'em and ditch 'em" mentality, but she'd learned from Alice that girls knew what they were getting into when pursuing a relationship with Edward Cullen. So she couldn't really blame him for that. She herself wouldn't fuck guys if they propositioned left and right because one, she knew she wasn't that attractive, and two, she wasn't raised that way. But if Edward wanted to live his life that way, who was she to judge? She only hoped that he wasn't picking up any deadly STDs along the way.

It was just physical attraction. He was gorgeous; perfection personified. A girl would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to be attracted to him. She hadn't been with a guy sexually for a while, so it was no wonder she fell for his incredibly green eyes or his charming voice.

_One kiss. Just one kiss, and I'll be done with him. _

"Okay, I'm done. Let's go!" Alice squealed, rubbing her gloss covered lips together.

"How do I look?" Bella inquired, her old insecurity issues surfacing.

"Beautiful, as always. Me?" Alice asked, knowing full well she looked incredible.

"Beautiful, as always," Bella smiled, mocking her friend's choice of words.

"Then what are we still doing here? We've got a party to rock!" Bella just laughed at her friend's enthusiasm and they left the house arm in arm.

---

The second they stepped inside the spacious mansion, Bella felt a blast of sweltering heat as well as the unquestionable stench of alcohol and sweat. The urge to turn and flee was a strong one, but she felt a hand on the small of her back. She whipped around, but realized it was only Alice.

She made shooing motions with her hands, and Bella realized she'd been holding up the line to get in. She immediately walked forward and into the large living room; the heart of the party.

There were splashes of people everywhere. On the couch, the floor, on top of the stereo, and a mass of bodies squished together on the dance floor.

_Are they trying to have the world's largest orgy?_

"Bella!" Bella turned around, dazed. Had someone called her name? When she saw Alice jumping up and down and waving frantically, she suppressed a laugh, and made her way over to the girl.

She pushed and shoved past the throng of people until she finally reached the kitchen, where she saw Alice holding hands with a stunning blonde. She looked oddly familiar.

"Bells!" Alice grinned as the brunette approached. "I'd like you to meet Rosalie."

Bella's eyes immediately widened as she eyed the leggy girl. Her shock quickly turned to suspicion, as Alice's hand had yet to release Rosalie's.

"Are you coming out of the closet, or…?"

"Oh, God! No!" Alice denied vehemently. "She's so not my girlfriend. More like my sister." Alice caught the look on Bella's face and realized her error. "No, I mean my best friend. She's my best friend. Other than you, of course."

Bella eyed the blonde bombshell as memories of hate resurfaced. Bella remembered the cruel way Rosalie had treated her during the first week of attending Pennington Academy. She'd made it a priority to see that Bella was ridiculed on a daily basis. Girls she'd never even met whispered nasty things; although it was clear Bella was supposed to hear them. Taunts and insults were thrown left and right, and it wasn't till Bella told Alice about them did they stop.

"Hey," Bella said politely. There was no use in holding a grudge against the girl. Fight fire with kindness, her mother always said.

"Hello Bella," Rosalie replied frostily, the icy tone of her words matching her sharp blue eyes. A smirk played on her lips while she perused Bella's plain outfit, which consisted of a burgundy halter and black skirt. Bella suddenly felt the urge to tug the skirt down, as it showed most her lengthy legs, but seemed inappropriate next to Rosalie. Even in a simple indigo polo and black jeans, she managed to look better than half the girls at the party.

Bella's discomfort slowly turned to utter confusion. Alice wanted Bella to meet Rosalie? That made absolutely no sense. Alice already knew Bella and Rosalie had met (though not under the nicest of ways), and she'd known what Rosalie had done to her. So what was up with the little meet-and-greet?

Bella almost rolled her eyes in amusement as Alice's hopeful smile caught her eye. She realized her and Rosalie had put her in a difficult situation. Her two best friends hated each other and she was stuck in the middle of it. Bella would hate to be the middle man, too. She smirked. She knew Alice meant well, but she was a little thick when it came down to it. This wasn't kindergarten. You couldn't just force two people to be friends with each other.

"Be nice you guys," Alice warned playfully, but Bella could see the hint of desperation within her eyes. Bella's eyes widened as the short ball of energy bounced away, leaving the bitch from hell and her by themselves.

_  
Shit, what the fuck do I do now?_

Bella prepared to leave when a haughty voice questioned her. "What are you doing here?"

What did she mean by that? She voiced the thought and Rosalie examined her nails while she responded.

"I mean here, at this party. I mean, look at you. Do _you_ even think you belong here?"

She didn't know how to respond to that. Her grandmother had taught her that bullies hated it when you ignored them, and eventually stopped bothering you when they failed to get a rise out of you. Maybe that'd work with Rosalie.

Rosalie sighed, then rolled her eyes like she knew what Bella was thinking and thought it to be the most ridiculous idea ever. "Just go home, Bella. You don't even want to be here. It's not your place. Go home…okay?"

Were her ears deceiving her, or did Rosalie actually sound pleading? The words weren't spoken maliciously, and if she didn't know any better, Bella would've thought Rosalie was warning her.

_But from what? _

"God, Rosalie, are you really that insecure about yourself that you feel the need to hate me? That you feel the need to make everyone else hate me?"

She scoffed, but Bella was tired of this girl's crap. She'd be damned if she took it anymore.

"Really, Rosalie. Having your ugly little friends whisper behind my back isn't gonna do shit to me, I assure you. I was actually having a grand old time, laughing at you and how you felt the need to make sure I was bullied. Am I really that important to you? God, I bet you centered your life around me. And now you're trying to get me to leave a party I'm actually enjoying because of what, you're insecurity issues? Afraid you're not the best looking girl here, cause I am?

"You're fucking pathetic, _Rose_," she spat the nickname mockingly. "Why don't you grow up and get a life instead of trying to control mine."

Bella should have expected it. She would've done the same thing if some girl was trash talking her and cursing her out, yet when Rose's cool palm slammed against her cheek, Bella was completely taken aback.

Rose looked around to see if she'd captured the attention of any of the partygoers. A few curious heads turned, but that was all. The rest of the party was either drunk or extremely horny to really pay any attention to anything else.

"Don't fucking talk to me like that. Like I'm beneath you. You don't fucking know me, and you never will. And how do you that it was me that sent girls to talk about you? Who fucking does that? Did you ever just stop to think that maybe they just genuinely didn't like you?"

She saw the look on her face and knew she'd struck a nerve.

"Yeah, bet you didn't even think about that possibility, Isabella. Because everyone just fucking loves you. There's no possible way anyone could dislike you, unless I'm behind it. I think someone needs to grow up, and it's definitely not me." She sneered at Bella, and the watery brown pools stared back at her. Her face softened an inch, but still retained undeniable hardness.

"Enjoy the party." Rosalie said as a parting note, and left Bella standing in the middle of the kitchen, her hand still pressed against her cheek.

As she watched Rosalie's departing figure, she realized she was right. She should go home. She wasn't even having any fun.

Bella slowly recollected herself before weaving through the mass of bodies in search of the bathroom. She needed a good cry, and she sure as hell wasn't going to do that in front of Rosalie.

After reaching her destination, she sat down on the toilet, staring at the cold tiled floors, unblinking. She stayed like this until a huge sob erupted from her throat, breaking the eerie silence. What was wrong with her? Bella was never this evil, and she rarely cursed. How could a private academy have such a bad influence on her?

Winsted High School wasn't as uptight as Pennington Academy. In fact it felt like a second home. Everyone was so friendly and warm and kind you couldn't help but feel like it was one big family. Bella had felt so at peace there; she wanted to stay there forever. She hated where she was now. She had an uncaring sister, an indifferent father, a crazy best friend, a weird friendship/hateship with a living Adonis, and the spawn of Satan was on her ass like white on rice.

Bella would never have left Arizona if she knew that this was in store.

* * *

**Quick chapter I whipped up cause I feel like crap for not updating for so long. I was sick as a dog and stayed in bed most of the time. And this story's just not doing it for me. I really don't even feel like continuing it and from the lack of reviews I'm pretty sure u guys don't either. I'll just continue writing for the sake of it, but my heart is not even in this story so if it sucks so bad, that's the reason. If you actually read this and review thanks. You really ARE appreciated. Seriously, I'm a sucker for feedback. **

**Part 2 of this chapter coming soon. Edwards in it. Just thought I'd point that out. Maybe that'll make you review; I DUNNO. :-) lol until next time!**


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